A vast tract of the East Coast, from Washington DC to New York is in danger of being without power for up to two years, if a massive solar flare knocks out the power grid.

With the Sun pushing out unusually large solar flares, capable of disrupting power supplies, a device is being proposed that would prevent more than 300 million Americans being left without power.

House Republicans have proposed legislation to push the Government to provide surge protectors and grid-saving devices that would offer protection in case of a massive electromagnetic pulse from either a flare or nuclear weapon.

Electromagnetic pulses, also known as EMPs, are massive surges of energy that can come from a severe solar flare, such as this one pictured on May 12, or from a high altitude nuclear explosion

'This is serious stuff,' the head of the Center for Security
Policy, Frank Gaffney, said.

The former Pentagon official cited a Lloyds of London report that claimed a region from Washington DC to New York could be left without electricity for up to two years after a solar flare.

There are also heightened fears from defense officials that terrorists could set off a small nuclear bomb overhead.

About 300
electric transformers in the U.S. which control the grid, need to be
protected, according to theWashington Examiner.

A study into solar storms last year predicted there was a one in eight chance of a major one affecting Earth by 2020.

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The effects of a solar flare could disrupt 'transportation, communication, banking
and finance systems, and government services; the breakdown of the
distribution of potable water owing to pump failure, and the loss of
perishable foods and medications because of lack of refrigeration,' theHuffington Postsaid.

One of the largest solar flares to be recorded this year happened on May 12. Although the Sun sent billions of tons of solar particles into space, capable of knocking out power and communication devices, they were not traveling in Earth's direction.

An increase in solar flare activity has been observed in the past 12 months, as the Sun reaches the peak of its 11-year cycle.

However, the proposed grid devices would offer some protection.

'You are basically talking about surge protectors, of a
somewhat exotic kind, but it is a means of interrupting the pulse,' Mr Gaffney said.

Damaging: The solar flare in May was not headed in Earth's direction, but scientists predict one is likely to hit

The Secure High-voltage Infrastructure for Electricity from Lethal Damage Act has bipartisan support.

'It is critical that we protect our major transformers from cascading destruction. The Shield Act encourages industry to develop standards necessary to protect our electric infrastructure against both natural and man-made EMP events,' Trent Franks, the Arizona Republican who is offering the bipartisan bill, said.

The legislation includes information from a recent electromagnetic pulse commission report that stated: 'Contemporary U.S. society is not structured, nor does it have the means, to provide for the needs of nearly 300 million Americans without electricity.'